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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273123">Unrelenting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifeshandful/pseuds/Lifeshandful'>Lifeshandful</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Seal Team Collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEAL Team (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bravo - Freeform, Comfort, Gen, Hurt, Intuition, Oneshot, Team, Team as Family, sick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:20:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,333</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifeshandful/pseuds/Lifeshandful</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Clay is still new to the team, and they still have a long way to go with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Seal Team Collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unrelenting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">N.B. This is set when Clay is still relatively new to the team!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">Unrelenting</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>It was miserably cold and none of them were particularly enjoying their latest spin up as it was the middle of winter and the only thing they had not seemed to experience was snow although they had come close as the weather was closing in on them once again. Bravo had been equally amused and worried when they were not out in the field however they were more perplexed than anything else by Cerb’s behaviour towards their newest brother, towards Clay. Cerb had been unrelenting despite Brock’s tiresome calls to get him to leave Clay alone but all Brock got was a contemptuous look and ignored when they were not in the field going after whatever or whoever they were.</p><p>Lisa walked to the table that Bravo had taken over in the mess tent with a tray of her own and sat down with them grateful that they had managed to get the table closest to the large heater that was heating the space however she did notice that Clay and Cerb were missing. “Where’s the kid?” She asked still not sure what to make of their newest member as he had been rather quiet and scarce as of late.</p><p>“Said he wasn’t hungry, went to get some sleep I think.” Sonny shrugged as Lisa swapped her mashed potatoes for his green beans as he was not a fan of green beans whereas she preferred them to mashed potatoes.</p><p>“And Cerb is still with him?” Lisa asked before she ate a forkful of her food enjoying the warmth of the bite of chicken that she had taken.</p><p>“I think the kid is keeping treats on him.” Brock huffed as he had never ever seen Cerb act the way he was towards anyone else before, and it was the only explanation that he had.</p><p>“Don’t think so.” Trent answered seeing as Brock and the rest of the table turned to look at him as they were waiting for an explanation. “I overheard the kid telling Cerb that he could not give him anything to eat and that he did not have any treats either for him. He listened to your instructions about not feeding Cerb anything that he could not have.”</p><p>“Might be the only thing the kid listened too.” Sonny groused as he had still not warmed up to their newest member.</p><p>Jason rolled his eyes before he stabbed his fork a little more forcefully than he meant to into the piece of chicken that he was aiming for because somehow Cerb’s behaviour towards Clay had them all alarmed whether they wanted to admit it or not. The other thing that was bothering them all was how closed off Clay was and it was almost like some of the cockiness and over confidence had left him which did not sit right with them either. If anything, Clay had been reserved and while they still had a long way to go with getting to know him, they knew it was not like him to be so reserved and quiet. “Any other suggestions?” He asked with a sigh before he ate the piece of chicken that was covered in gravy.</p><p>“Cerb could just like him better than Brock.” Sonny was cranky and just could not stop the barbed jabs from leaving his mouth. “Ouch, what’d you do that for?” He reacted with a scowl as Lisa had leant across the table and jabbed her fork into the back of his hand hard enough to leave an imprint of the prongs in his skin.</p><p>“Stop talking and eat if you don’t have anything constructive to add to the conversation.” Jason ordered knowing he probably should reprimand Lisa for stabbing one of his men with a fork but then again she packed his parachutes so he was not about to piss Lisa Davis off.</p><p>“Has Cerb ever reacted to anyone like this before?” Ray directed his question to Brock although he could not recall another time himself.</p><p>Brock put his fork down having finished his meal before he pushed his tray away from him slightly. “No, never, I have never not been able to call him off before either.” There was an edge to Brock’s tone that did not go unmissed although it was hard to pinpoint it. “And if I do he still finds his way back to Clay.”</p><p>“Could Cerb be picking up on something that we are missing?” Ray asked recalling hearing about dogs and their intuitiveness.</p><p>There were several glances exchanged around the table before Trent cursed harshly and before anyone could ask what had caused the exclamation he had stood up, grabbed his jacket, and was stomping out of the mess tent. It took a few seconds before the rest of the men and Lisa were dropping their utensils, pushing themselves away from the table, donning their own jackets and hurrying to catch up with their medic hating that they had to leave the warmth and step out into the bitter cold.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Unrelenting</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>A shiver went through Clay’s spine as he snuggled down under the thick blanket making sure that he did not upset Cerb who seemed intent to tuck himself up on the end of the bed with his head rested over his legs. Clay was grateful for the quiet as the headache that he had did not seem to want to abandon him despite how much he willed it too, he was uncomfortable and exhausted and his ribs ached a lot because of the cold, all in all he felt terrible but he had made it through the past few days so what were a few more.</p><p>It was kind of nice to have the room to himself with the exception of Cerb for a little bit even if he was miserable and unwell as he did not have to keep the façade up that everything was okay to his new team like he had been doing. It wasn’t that he did not like his new team it was just that he hated being sick and did not cope well with it, and he really did not want to have to figure out his teammates reactions when he felt the way he did. It was easier to keep on pushing through all that he was feeling instead of admitting it although he did hope that an entire night of sleep would be afforded to him uninterrupted in the hopes that he would wake up and feel better. His head throbbed again as if it was reminding him that his headache was not going away and he was sure that his head was trying to explode although he had no idea why. He raised his hand up from under the blanket and scrubbed at his heavy eyes that felt like they were bulging out of his skull, and he wondered momentarily if he looked like one of the goldfish with the bulging eyes before he dismissed the thought, as he dropped his hand back down and clutched at the blanket once more.</p><p>Clay let a soft sigh leave his parted lips as he rolled over so that he was facing the wall as he snuggled down further into the uncomfortably thin mattress and pulled the equally thin pillow over his head in an effort to block out the dim light from the overhead light that was illuminating the room. He pressed his arm against his aching ribs feeling as the sharp pain caught as he inhaled deeply and he barely withheld the wince that threatened to escape his lips. He felt as Cerb tucked himself in closer providing warmth to his frozen feet despite the thick socks he had on before he let his eyelids flutter shut as he let himself go to sleep.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Unrelenting</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The door banged open and hit the wall loudly startling Clay and causing Cerb to growl and bark which reverberated around his skull loudly making him groan softly before he focused on the sound of several booted feet hitting the floor and coming to a stop next to his bed.</p><p>“Trent.” Jason still did not have an answer as to why Trent had stormed away from the table but then again they had only just managed to catch up with their fast moving medic.</p><p>“Spenser!” Trent ignored Jason as he was unrelenting in his pursuit as he reached out to pull the pillow from off of Clay’s head so that he could at least see him as he had managed to cocoon himself up in the thick blanket from his chin to his feet.</p><p>Clay made a lazy effort to try and grab the pillow as it was removed from his head. “What?” He croaked out, his voice thick with sleep, as he wanted to go back to sleep but somehow he figured he would not be allowed to however he made no effort to untangle himself from the blanket or roll over to face Trent and the rest of his team.</p><p>“Trent, you have got to tell us what you are thinking brother.” Ray hoped to compel Trent to talk seeing Jason had stepped in between him and Clay and pushed him back a little bit.</p><p>“You were right about Cerb picking up on something we were missing.” Trent was annoyed as he thought that the kid knew to come to him if he felt unwell, hell they had explained it to him in vivid detail.</p><p>Lisa somehow managed to push her way in, having to weave and duck around Brock and under Sonny’s arm, before she looked over Clay and then looked to Cerb who was being awfully protective of their newest Operator.</p><p>“Since when could you speak Cerb?” Sonny shoved a toothpick into his mouth as he directed his question towards Trent who growled towards him making him raise an eyebrow at him.</p><p>Clay bit down on his bottom lip hating the noise around him and the light was bothering him but a blind search with his hand yielded no pillow so he dropped his chin towards his chest and tried to cover his head with the blanket as no one had ordered him up.</p><p>“Clay… hey…” Lisa kept his voice soft as she left the men to snipe and glare at each other.</p><p>Clay huffed wishing that his peace and quiet had lasted longer as he heard Cerb growl lowly which had the room silenced quickly which he was silently grateful for as he felt worse now that he had gotten a little bit of sleep. Miserable was an accurate word to describe how he felt. “Yeah?” His voice was muffled by the blanket as he resisted the urge to snap at Lisa.</p><p>“Want to tell us what is going on?” Lisa made sure to keep her voice soft although she was glad that he was responding to her as she resisted the urge to reach out and tug the blanket that he was hidden under away from him.</p><p>“Nothin’.” Clay’s response was immediate and they could all tell it was a natural response even if it was not the truthful one.</p><p>“I would bet a case of beer that the kid is unwell which is why Cerb is sticking so close.” Trent pointed between the two after Clay had answered Lisa although he was still unhappy.</p><p>“How in the hell did you get that the kid is sick from Cerb hanging around him?” Sonny’s raised voice had Clay flinching involuntarily.</p><p>“Spenser, up, health check now.” Jason ordered as he turned to look back at Clay over his shoulder frowning at the way the kid was tucked up in his bed. The more Jason thought about it the more sense it made as Clay had been unusually docile when they were not out in the field or in a briefing.</p><p>Clay frowned as he pulled the blanket down just enough to uncover his face despite how much he did not want too. “ ‘m fine ‘oss.” He assured him but it was not reassuring at all as it lacked his usual confidence and force that he spoke with.</p><p>Jason barely managed to resist the urge that he had to roll his eyes. “Not a request Spenser.” Sometimes a bit of force was required.</p><p>Lisa turned around to face Jason before she nodded towards the guys hoping he would understand her silent message that Clay did not need an audience for the health check that he was going to submit to whether he liked it or not.</p><p>Jason had not missed the look Lisa sent his way nor the way she had stood protectively in front of Clay. “Ray, Sonny, Brock, go finish your dinner.” It was an order, not a suggestion that was punctuated with one of his sternest looks that he could muster.</p><p>Ray looked between Jason, Trent, Lisa and Clay sensing that they were going to have an uphill battle with their new kid, the one that Ray fought Jason to draft, but it was one that he were prepared to fight because Clay was going to be one of the best and he was great for Bravo. “You heard Jay, come on.” Ray did not like to be dismissed in this instance but he could understand it, and he hoped that maybe Clay would be more open if he did not have everyone standing around him watching. It took a few seconds and more than one light shove to get Sonny and Brock moving.</p><p>Clay shivered violently as the chilly air blew through the room as the door was opened then closed, and he instinctually tightened his grasp on the blanket wishing that the rest of the team had left him alone as well.</p><p>“Come on kid, sit up, let Trent take a look at you.” Jason reached his hand out to pull the blanket away from Clay but quickly stopped himself as Lisa glared at him making him frown.</p><p>Clay sighed heavily before he withheld a wince as the sharp pain spiked through his ribs once more knowing that he could not disobey an order from Jason and it was most definitely an order that he was being given. It took a few seconds to untangle himself from the blanket which he hated immediately as the cold seemed to wrap around him, and with unsteady and disjointed movements he turned over and pushed himself upright then shuffled to the edge of the bed. He still had his eyes closed as he reached up and ran his hand through his hair in an effort to tame his unruly curls before he finally forced his eyelids to open.</p><p>Trent was not impressed at how tense Clay seemed to be but then again it could have been down to the cold as he had been on over watch lying down on frozen ground in bitterly cold temperatures only hours previously. He shared a look with Jason before he shook his head and knelt down in front of Clay who looked far younger than he was as his eyes were dull and bloodshot yet wide with what could only be described as fear but fear of what Trent did not know. “You want to tell me what is going on Clay?” Trent asked softly as he let his eyes wonder over their youngest member wishing he had some sort of handbook for him as there were still a bunch of unknowns that he had yet to figure out.</p><p>“Nothin’, I’m just tired.” Clay murmured softly before he drew his bottom lip in between his teeth and chewed it softly.</p><p>Jason sighed softly before he crouched down beside Trent as he quickly realised that the kid was not going to be as forthcoming as he hoped. “Kid, you are a part of this team now, and that means that you are family.” Jason watched as Clay swallowed thickly as the words seemed to have an impact on him. “Which means that when you feel unwell then we need to know, I need to know and so does Trent so he can help.”</p><p>Lisa could see that Clay was struggling, had from the moment Jason told him that he was family, and she found herself wanting to hug him as he looked so much like a lost little boy that it was hard to fathom. “Everyone pushes through a lot at times but not all of the time. There is no shame in not feeling well Clay. We all just want to make sure you are okay just like you want to make sure that we all are.” She kept her voice soft hoping to get through the barrier that remained. “Cerb is pretty protective of his pack which is why he has been sticking close to you because he can sense that you aren’t feeling well, and he probably thinks we are all a little stupid for not realising sooner.” Cerb gave a huff that almost sounded as if he was agreeing with Lisa which earned him a pat from Lisa as he had moved when Clay had, once again settling at his side.</p><p>Clay let his hand drop down into his lap as he looked at Cerb who was looking up at him with those big brown eyes of his before he looked around at Lisa, Trent and finally Jason as he debated on whether he could really tell them how he felt as he let his eyes look back down at his lap. It was just that he was so used to taking care of himself that it was hard to admit that he was not okay to anyone even those that truly knew him; that thought made him flinch involuntarily as he was reminded how much he missed Brian although missing him never really went away but sometimes it fell to the side in moments when he had to much on his mind. The soft short whine from Cerb pulled Clay from his morose thoughts just as Cerb’s wet nose pressed against his wrist.</p><p>“Clay.” Trent could see that Jason was growing impatient and worried and he hoped that breaking the silence would get him talking.</p><p>Clay’s shoulders dropped slightly. “I have a headache that I can’t get rid of.” The rest he left out because they were all tired and cold, and there was no need to mention that his ribs were aching because then he would have to explain that sometimes they did because of the cold which was due to having improperly healed breaks.</p><p>Jason, Trent and Lisa all exchanged worried glances mainly because of how hard it had been to get the information out of him and then to learn it was all over a headache. Yeah, something did not add up. Trent shook his head as he could see that the answer had provided more questions than it had answers but now was not the time for an interrogation. “Okay Clay, well I can give you some pain killers to help with your headache.” Trent was already reaching into his bag but stilled.</p><p>“No.” That single word was said with more force than any of them expected and it only added to the confusion. Clay bit down on his lip hard before he released it wishing he had stayed quiet. “I mean no, thank you, but no. All I need is some sleep and it will be fine.” His voice was barely above a whisper now and it was like every bit of energy had left him.</p><p>Trent frowned at the strong aversion to medication that their newest little brother seemed to have and once again found himself wondering what they did not know. “Alright but I need you to tell me if it gets worse or if you still are not feeling well when you wake up.” There was only so far that Trent could push and he had decided that Clay was at his limit for the moment but it did not mean he would not be searching for answers. He could see that Jason was not pleased but he was just going to have to get over it.</p><p>“Okay.” Clay answered after a few moments as if he was deliberating how he should answer. “Can I go back to sleep now?” He asked resisting the urge to rub his eyes that were still burning as he blinked heavily.</p><p>Lisa looked at Trent having picked up on his and Jason’s concerns before she looked back at Clay. “Yeah, come on.” She stood up and grabbed the blanket watching as he somehow managed to move around Cerb and lay back down reaching for the blanket and the pillow at the same time. She gently dropped the blanket down over him watching as he somehow managed to curl himself up small and snuggled under the blanket with his head back under the pillow just as they had found him. She shook her head unable to stop the small smile that tugged at her lips before she turned around to see Trent and Jason both watching with a glint of fond amusement although she could see the worry clearly. “We will be back later Clay.” She knew she would stop by to check on him and justified it to herself as she would do it for any of them.</p><p>Jason nodded his head towards the door as Lisa had made it pretty clear that they were leaving although he was not sure he wanted to but he had ordered everyone back to the mess tent to finish dinner as they all needed to eat. He gave Trent a small shove to get him moving. “Mess tent.” He spoke quietly knowing that the rest of the team would be waiting for an update on their youngest, and he wanted to know why Trent had backed down on the medication so fast.</p><p>Trent took one last look at Clay or at least the pillow and blanket that he had covered himself in before he fell in line following after Lisa with Jason following behind him although he had to admit that he was hesitant to leave as he felt like he was missing something or a whole lot of things.</p><p>It did not take them long to reach the mess tent as the bitter cold temperature had them moving as fast as they could to reach the warmth, and it took them even less time to be bombarded with questions from full mouths of their worried teammates.</p><p>“Spenser okay?” Ray asked as his hand hovered in the air as his fork was full of mashed potatoes.</p><p>“What’s wrong with Spense, Trent?” Brock could see the worry that Trent was doing a poor job at concealing.</p><p>“Nothing is wrong with the kid, I bet he is just sulking.” Sonny griped as he still had not warmed up to the new kid at all. Yeah, that comment earned him another slap from Lisa as she took her seat back at the table although she pushed the tray away from her as the food in front of her was not appealing at all.</p><p>Jason sat down suddenly feeling more tired than he had felt before he had gone after Trent but he kept quiet as he deferred to their medic although he still had questions of his own for him.</p><p>Trent held up his hands as he picked up his fork and stabbed it into a few of the green beans that were left on his tray. “Managed to get out of him that he has a headache but he looks like crap.” The more he thought about it the more unsettled he felt.</p><p>Ray could see that something was bothering Jason and Trent although he had no idea if it was the same thing but what he did know that it had to do with Clay. “You don’t think that’s all, do you?” Ray was willing to bet that Trent was thinking there was something else going on or at least that he had not gotten the whole truth.</p><p>“I think we have got a lot to figure out with our new little brother.” Trent settled on that answer as it was the only one he had but it caused the confusion to grow.</p><p>Brock put his fork down on his tray and pinned Trent with a look. “Want to elaborate on that brother?” He asked not liking that Trent was being cagey.</p><p>“Flat out refused any pain medication.” Jason elaborated unsettled by that fact that Clay had been so adamant before he seemingly deflated in front of their eyes.</p><p>Trent shook his head knowing that none of them liked to take pain medication but the way Clay had refused it told him that his reaction stemmed from something deeper. It was almost like there was a bit of fear that had tinged his voice when he had refused it. “I will look him over in the morning once he is awake.” It was the only thing he could think to do and he hoped that a decent bit of sleep would help Clay feel better. “And don’t even think about deliberately being loud to wake him up.” Trent pinned Sonny with a glare that promised retribution if he tried causing the Texan to huff before he held up his hands in a surrendering manner.</p><p>Jason shared a look with Ray before he shook his head knowing that Trent would not be sharing anymore by the way he had begun to eat the remaining food on his tray but what he did know was that they definitely had work to do with Clay or rather on getting him to trust them enough to tell them if he was unwell rather than just take himself off to bed and expect to ride out whatever illness he had alone because that was not the way Bravo did things.</p><p> </p>
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